Mother's Day
by Morwenna Caddy
Summary: When mother gets her way, Jareth will pay! Will upgrade to R RATING soon.
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: This is my very first fanfic! I hope you enjoy. Oh, and I don't own Jareth, Sarah, Hoggle, Didymus, Toby, the Labyrinth, blah, blah, blibbity-blob.  
  
  
  
MOTHER'S DAY  
  
By Morwenna Caddy  
  
  
  
CHAPTER ONE: AFTER THE LABYRINTH  
  
  
  
Sarah went through the motions of having a fantastic time at her post- Labyrinth party in her bedroom. Everyone she'd met through-out her adventures was there, save one. All were accounted for except the one whom she didn't want to think about. Why was it that whenever she did think about him, her heart felt heavy? She'd won, hadn't she? After all, he was the bad guy. Wasn't he? "Stop it, Sarah Williams," she thought to herself. "It's party-time with my friends and I'm not going to waste a moment of it." Yet she couldn't help glancing out the window every few seconds to look for a fluttering of white wings.  
  
Amid thoughts of the Goblin King, Sarah was also distracted from joining in with the merry-making by thoughts of her step-mother. "How can I relax and get into the spirit of things if I'm worried about Karen overhearing us?" she grumbled. "What if I don't hear her coming home? She might come into my room and see me with my friends. And even if they do leave in time, I'm going to get into so much trouble for the mess they're making. Oh, why won't she ever let me have any fun?" Frowning, Sarah remembered the last time she had her two best friends in her room for a little impromptu get-together. "I was so embarrassed by the way she burst into my room and humiliated me in front of my friends, yelling at me like that. I hate her!"  
  
"Oh, I give up!" she cried. Frustrated, she grabbed a balloon and dug her nails into it until it popped, startling a few assorted goblins. "You guys, I appreciate what you're doing for me, but I'm just not in the party mood right now. Will you please leave?" Hoggle, clearly startled, looked quite hurt, and the rest of the group vanished one by one.  
  
"As you wish, my lady," said Sir Didymus, bowing low and sweeping his cap to the ground before vanishing.  
  
Finally no one was left in the room with Sarah but Hoggle, who was standing in stony silence. "Please don't feel bad, Hoggle," Sarah told him. "I just need to be alone right now. I'll call you later when I need you, OK?" Sarah bent forward to give the little guy a parting hug, but realized she was alone when her arms embraced thin air.  
  
"Well, that wasn't very nice of me," she thought, smiling wickedly to herself. "I should feel guilty for hurting their feelings. But I don't. And I'm glad they're gone! Maybe Jareth was right that I can be cruel." Sighing, she began scooping up handfuls of confetti and dumping them in her wastebasket. "Jareth. Why did I have to start thinking about him again? And why do I feel guilty when I think about him, instead of feeling guilty about the way I just treated my friends? It's so confusing!"  
  
Sitting down hard on her bare floor amid the jumble of torn streamers, confetti, and broken party hats, Sarah closed her eyes and rested her head on her knees. His eyes looked so sad at the end. Why had he asked her to love him? It was just a trick wasn't it? A trick to keep Toby. Why did something feel so wrong when she'd gotten what she wanted? Her mind went to her encounter with Jareth just before he summoned the cleaners. He was standing so close to her then. She remembered how he leaned towards her when he asked her how she liked his labyrinth. She had wanted so badly to reach her hand out and touch his face at that moment, to feel his smooth skin and to trace his firm jaw line with her fingers. What would he have done if she'd gently swept her fingers over those lips…?  
  
With her eyes still closed, Sarah began to breathe more heavily as she felt her body tingle and a strange excitement begin to grow within the pit of her stomach. She was so immersed in her own feelings that she didn't even notice the scratching and pecking at her bedroom window. 


	2. Searching for Closure

MOTHER'S DAY  
  
By Morwenna Caddy  
  
  
  
Author's Note: A big thank you to my reviewers. I was so excited to get my first reviews of my very first fanfic that I could hardly sleep.  
  
Katzztar: I'm glad I've piqued your interest. Unfortunately I can't answer your question about Karen and Sarah just yet or I'd spoil the surprise. But don't worry; your question should be answered in just a few more chapters.  
  
Delkon: I'm going to busier than ever this summer, so I haven't quite figured out yet when each installment will come out. But I promise you that I'll work on this story each and every day even if it's only a few minutes.  
  
Redaura: Sarah was a bit cruel, wasn't she? But I think all she really wanted was to be alone with her thoughts of the Goblin King. And who can blame her?  
  
Dawn: I'm flattered that you like it, coming from such a good writer like you! I'm glad you appreciate the cliffhangers.  
  
And now, on with the story.  
  
Stealing characters  
  
I'd never condone,  
  
So please don't sue  
  
I do not own.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER TWO: SEARCHING FOR CLOSURE  
  
  
  
The snow-white owl gazed through the window pane at the young girl sitting on the floor who seemed oblivious to everything but her own thoughts. He hadn't intended on returning to her world for a very long time, but when his subjects returned to his kingdom so soon after he had graciously allowed then to have their little victory celebration, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. As he watched her with two large unblinking eyes, he could hear her sigh as she moaned his name softly. Smiling to himself, he turned to fly away. "Perhaps later, Sarah," he thought. Satisfied with the first bit of hope he had felt since she rejected him, he took wing.  
  
The first drops of rain splattered loudly against the pane and the young girl shivered almost as if the window were open. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of white feathers disappearing in the dark night sky. "No! I missed him!" she gasped. Grabbing her thin cloak, Sarah fairly tore down the stairs and out the front door, not giving a thought to where she was going, or what she might say to him. She only knew that she couldn't leave things as they were.  
  
Sarah ran out the door heedless to the darkening night and the falling rain. She ran instinctively, blind to where her legs might be carrying her. As the wind picked up, her long dark hair was thrown back onto her face with a stinging slap. Ignoring the water dripping down her neck and soaking her clothing underneath her jacket, she splashed on through the deepening puddles. "I feel like I missed something important and I don't even know for sure what it is" she whispered into the wind. "And I have to know. Come on feet!"  
  
Running and stumbling, Sarah fell on her knees in the slick mud. Crying from frustration and beginning to feel desperate, she looked around her. The park! How she ended up in the very place where she used to play-act, she wasn't sure. It seemed so long ago now that the white owl sat and watched as she played dress-up and make-believe. It was, in fact, only two days ago, but it seemed to her that her childhood had fallen away along with her walls of toys in the junkyard of the Labyrinth. Sobbing from an unknown ache, she made her way to the very stump that the owl had watched her from. Sitting and crying, her tears mixing with the rain upon her cheeks, she didn't care and barely noticed as the thunder crashed in the distance.  
  
"Jareth, where are you?" she cried, but it seemed that her voice was lost and barely audible in the onslaught of rain and wind. A bolt of lightning lit up the night sky, and for a moment she thought she saw his face illuminated in the darkness. As she turned around, she saw a single cloud blown away from the moon, and there, beneath the ghostly light of the glowing orb, the Goblin King appeared in his dark splendor like an apparition.  
  
"Jareth!" Her voice choked on his name as she closed the distance between them, touching his face with her cold fingers. "You're real!"  
  
"Of course I'm real, Sarah," he chuckled deeply, but soothingly. "I always have been, and I expect I always will be." Jareth looked down at the shivering girl, and lightly embraced her, almost fearful of her strange power over him. "Now tell me, my precious thing, what's this all about? I was halfway to the Underground when I heard you calling me. What are you doing out here soaked to the skin?"  
  
Maybe it was the whirling of the wind around her, maybe it was the intensity of the thunder, or maybe it was the safe darkness of the night that made her tumultuously confess her need of him. "I…I…" she stammered, shivering. "Now that you're here, I'm not sure, exactly. I only know that I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing you again!" Whether it was the wind or the thunder, she neither knew nor cared, because at that moment his arms went around her even more tightly, embracing her in a warmth that ceased her shivering. Did she imagine it, or did she detect his trembling in that tight embrace? "Jareth," she murmured, against the roughness of his cape. "I have to know. Would you really have turned Toby into a goblin?" she blurted.  
  
Jareth chuckled low and deep into her dark slick strands of chocolate hair. "As I recall, I said that he would become one of us forever. We're not all goblins in the Underground, you know. Do I look like a goblin to you, Sarah?"  
  
She looked up at him through the veil of rain and wind, again touching his face very gently with wet fingers. "No, Jareth…but one more thing I have to know. How could you have put me in danger like you did? I mean with the cleaners and Humongous? Sometimes you seemed like you cared, but other times…"  
  
"I gave you what you wanted, Sarah," Jareth quietly replied. "You wanted a fantasy, and you wanted to be the heroine. I gave you that chance because I…" Jareth paused. It wasn't easy for him to say how he felt after her recent rejection of him. But somehow the wild abandon of the storm had its influence on him, as well. "I…was intrigued by your beauty and your spirit when I watched you in the park. I've seen what you've gone through. And when you were in my Labyrinth I fell in love with your strength and determination. I do believe in you, Sarah. I never would have let any real harm come to you or to your friends in my Labyrinth."  
  
Sarah felt a great relief wash over her, and looking into his beautiful mismatched eyes, she knew he was speaking the truth. "What happens now, Jareth?"  
  
"Now you need to go home before you catch your death."  
  
"But…"  
  
"Tell me, Sarah, when are girls of your world considered to be grown?"  
  
"I guess at 18...or maybe 21. I'm not sure which, really. Jareth…I…"  
  
"Go now, Sarah. I'll see you again. Look," Jareth gestured in the opposite direction, and Sarah turned, seeing beams of headlights glaring at her through the onslaught of rain. The car pulled up to the park's curb, and as the passenger door opened, a shrill voice screamed from within, "Sarah, get in this car, now!" She turned again quickly, but he was gone without a trace. Without his warmth, Sarah once again shivered uncontrollably, perhaps more from apprehension than from her sodden state.  
  
There was no way to avoid it, so running to the car, she climbed in. "Sarah, what are you doing here?" her step-mother's voice demanded. "You were supposed to be watching Toby, and you left the front door wide open!"  
  
"I…I…forgot something. I had to find it," she murmured, not daring to look up.  
  
Then even her father admonished her. "Sarah, we were worried sick. Don't ever do anything like that again!"  
  
"You're grounded for a month, young lady!" Karen further exhorted her. Sarah hung her head and said nothing for the duration of the short trip home. They just didn't have a clue. But maybe someday she could leave them all behind. After all, Jareth would come back for her, wouldn't he?  
  
Arriving home, Sarah ran back up the stairs before anyone could yell at her again. Safe in the sanctity of her room, she quickly dried off, pulled on her pajamas, and collapsed on her bed. Looking out the window, she hoped to catch at least a parting glimpse of white tail feathers, but there was nothing. "He said he'd see me again, maybe he meant tonight. If he comes again tonight, I won't be in anymore trouble."  
  
Getting up off the bed, Sarah walked to the window, and watched the raindrops roll languidly down. It seemed like it took an eternity for just one drop to finish its slow journey down the glass. Looking more closely at the sill, Sarah suddenly gasped and thrust the window open. There on the outer ledge was a single white feather. Clasping the feather like it was her last hope; she looked at its shimmering lines and knew it could only be from one being. Holding it close, she inhaled deeply. "It smells like him," she thought. "Magical." Carrying the feather carefully in one hand, she retrieved a red leather-bound book with the other. She opened the book, and placing the feather between the pages, she closed the book tightly. 


	3. Waiting Too Long

MOTHER'S DAY  
  
By Morwenna Caddy  
  
  
  
Author's Note: Thank you, reviewers, for your patience. And don't worry; the title will gradually begin to make more and more sense.  
  
Delkon: Glad you like it! Keep on reading.  
  
Katztaar: I'll write more and you read more. =^.^=  
  
Lintrayel Riverdance: Two words: Insanity rules!  
  
Raydias: I promise I will keep writing!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sarah or Jareth (darn!); I do own Todd (yuck!).  
  
  
  
CHAPTER THREE: WAITING TOO LONG  
  
  
  
Sarah sat at her desk in her dorm room and ran a brush slowly through her hair as she thoughtfully stared at her reflection in her make-up mirror. She'd changed a lot in the last six years. Her face had become more angular and defined, and her slightly up-tilted eyes held such a sad expression. Six years. Sarah sighed and set down her brush. Six years since that rainy night in which she'd last seen her Goblin King. He hadn't come to her again that night, or the next. After weeks of waiting and watching from her bedroom window and replaying that last conversation in her head over and over, she'd come to the conclusion that he must have meant that he would come for her when she had grown up. And what had she told him? She'd said that girls were considered grown at 18 or 21 years of age.  
  
The next three years had crawled by agonizingly slowly for her as she'd waited for her eighteenth birthday. Not a night had gone by that she hadn't fantasized about being in his arms again. When the boys began to notice her growing beauty and began asking her out, she turned them down one after another, and went to bed alone filled with fantasies of Jareth's kisses.  
  
The night before she'd turned 18, she'd had so many butterflies in her stomach that she could hardly sleep. She'd gotten up early, packed a few things in her satchel, and went through the motions of the day in a dream. She'd survived her birthday party, retreated to her room as quickly as possible, and had settled down to wait. All night she'd waited by her window, but by morning, he still hadn't come. Finally, she'd collapsed onto her bed and had cried herself to sleep.  
  
She'd told herself that he would come when she turned 21, but the thought of waiting three more years seemed almost unbearable. But realizing she had no choice, she'd mentally prepared to endure the torturous wait by going through the motions of life. Sarah had enrolled in a liberal arts college at her parents' and stepmother's urgings, but it had been merely a distraction to help the long days go by. She'd thrown herself into her studies, determined to keep her mind off the Goblin King, and turned down dates right and left. Finally, the day before her 21st birthday, she went through the same routine that she'd gone through three years earlier, packing some belongings and waiting by her window. When he didn't show this time, however, Sarah's true spirit began to emerge. Yes, she'd cried; in fact she'd cried for three days straight. But deep inside, something had snapped. It finally began to dawn on her that he was never coming, and her natural resilience and defiance began to show through.  
  
Sarah got up from her desk and paced her small dorm room, clenching her fists tightly as she thought back over those abysmally long six years. She'd missed out on so much. She'd had no dates and no boyfriends. How could he have done that to her? It was only three days ago that Sarah had turned 21, and her pain had finally transformed itself to anger. And it was so much less painful to feel anger rather than hurt. She wasn't cut out to be a nun or a social pariah. She had feelings for men; so much so that those feelings kept her awake at night. But in her heart she had been faithful to Jareth, and would fantasize about making love to him and nobody else. "I've been an idiot," she thought. "But I'm going to make up for lost time."  
  
Sitting down at her desk again, Sarah picked up her treasured figurine that so closely resembled the Goblin King. It was one of the few treasures that she'd left in her room after her adventure through the Labyrinth. She'd put away her dolls and her mother's newspaper clippings, but somehow couldn't bear to part with that one reminder. Sarah tightened her grip on the figure and choked back the tears that welled up inside of her. "No more!" she cried out loud. For a brief moment she considered hurling the statue against the wall, and smiled bitterly at the thought of breaking it into a million pieces. But instead, running her fingers over the smooth ceramic glaze, she kissed it lightly. "Goodbye, Jareth, she whispered, and stowed it carefully in the bottom drawer of her bureau along with the red leather-bound book that contained his feather. Covering them securely with sweaters that she no longer wore, she stood up, and then kicked the drawer shut with a satisfying thwack.  
  
Angrily, she grabbed her phone to call Todd Biffman, a muscle-bound young football player for whom she had been hired by her college to tutor Art History. Todd had been pestering her for a date for the last year, but of course she had turned him down as she had all the others. He had even asked her to go with him to his parents' cabin by the lake this week-end. Sarah considered his close-cropped blonde hair and his All-American good looks. "Well, he's as good as any," she sighed. "I can't stay a virgin forever." Impulsively, she dialed his number.  
  
  
  
  
  
The Goblin King stood on a grassy cliff ledge overlooking a one hundred foot waterfall that poured majestically into a river below. He visited this remote area of his Kingdom quite often of late, particularly when his thoughts turned toward a certain strong-willed young lady who had been taking an insufferable amount of time growing up. "Speaking of which," he thought, "she's turned 21 fairly recently, hasn't she?" Yes, it was time to check in on her and see how she was shaping up. Jareth smiled cockily to himself. He had no worries. He'd spied on her every now and then, and she always remained devoted to him. "Of course she is!" he chuckled. "Who wouldn't be?"  
  
Still smiling, Jareth conjured up a crystal, but was soon frowning as he watched Sarah speaking animatedly into her Upperworld communication device to some idiot school-boy. As Jareth listened to her make arrangements to meet the cretin that night for a week-end rendezvous, he began to grow concerned. "Sarah, what are you doing?" he breathed. "Hmm. Perhaps I've made her wait just a bit too long. This situation will have to be remedied immediately."  
  
Preparing to shift to his owl form and journey to the Upperworld, Jareth glanced down at the bottom of the cliff, and suddenly halted his transformation. "That's odd," he thought, his suspicions aroused. There, at the base of the waterfall was a lamia which appeared to be deep in conversation with a woman whose back was toward him. The lamias were sneaky, untrustworthy creatures which usually kept to themselves in caverns located far behind and below the falls. The lamias were an odd race. Eyeing the lamia below, Jareth could see that it was typical of its species. From the waist up it had the appearance of a beautiful nude woman, but below the waste, it lashed a giant serpent's tail which was capable of crushing an enemy to death with one light squeeze. The lamias also possessed an evil magic which was unique to its species. Being creatures which preferred to dwell in dank dark passageways, their water- based magic was always associated with inky blackness. Jareth had had dealings with the lamias in the distant past, and had ended up confining them to the Crystal Caverns. He didn't know how this rather large specimen could have penetrated his magical barrier, and wondered what it could have to do with the woman it was conversing with. One thing was certain; it did not bode well.  
  
"I'll make a quick trip to the Upperworld to reassure Sarah, and then I'll return and investigate this situation thoroughly," he decided. Once again, Jareth prepared to shape shift. Tossing a crystal upward, he stretched his arms outward as feathers replaced skin, and he prepared to take flight. Before he had flown two feet, however, he suddenly crashed back to the ground, for his snow-white wings were now covered with a heavy oily black substance. Jareth tried in vain to return to his true form, but the greasy ooze held him fast. Hearing wicked female laughter that sounded hauntingly familiar, he looked with his sharp owl eyes at the base of the waterfall, but the two figures had mysteriously vanished. Frantically beating his wings upon the ground, Jareth called upon every spell he could think of that might counter the black magic of the lamia which was pinning him so heavily down. Finally, after what seemed to be hours of exhausting struggle, Jareth at last flung the evil black globs from his wings, and immediately took flight to the Upperworld. In spite of what was happening in his own realm, all of his thoughts were upon Sarah. "That fool better not have touched her," was all he could think.  
  
Finally, the Goblin King materialized inside Sarah's dorm room, but the unlit interior showed no trace of her. "Damn!" he shouted. "Where is she?"  
  
  
  
Author's Note: I think Sarah's old enough for an R-rating now, don't you? Look for it soon! 


	4. Perchance to Dream

MOTHER'S DAY  
  
By Morwenna Caddy  
  
  
  
Acknowledgment: Thanks to Delkon for his technical advice on the closing scene.  
  
I appreciate my reviewers, and take all comments and suggestions seriously.  
  
Alexandria Queen of Dreams: Yes, poor Sarah. But she's not the kind of lady to stay down for long!  
  
Delkon: The lamias actually are a mythological species. I've seen them in many video games, and they lure their prey by casting sleep or charm spells on their hapless victims. I did make up the part about the great gobs of black goo, though.  
  
Danielle of Fairyland: Don't worry; the installments will keep coming as long as fanfic.net keeps working.  
  
Redaura: So many questions! And who said it's going to be a J/S R-rated bit? Ha ha. Just messin' with ya.  
  
Lintrayel Riverdance: Oh, yeah. I agree Jareth does need to work to earn Sarah's affections after the way he's neglected her. Great idea.  
  
Erianne: I'm afraid you'll have to wait another chapter or two to find out if Jareth reaches Sarah in time.  
  
Gwenevire: I'm glad you're lovin' readin' it, 'cause I'm lovin' writin' it!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
'Tis with sorrow I now proclaim:  
  
The King's not mine, nor his domain.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FOUR: PERCHANCE TO DREAM  
  
  
  
Sarah was alone in the bathroom at Todd's family lake house. She'd told him she needed some time to freshen up for him so she could relax and be alone with her thoughts for awhile. So far she'd managed to ward off his kisses and his fumbling sweaty hands, but she knew that she couldn't put him off much longer. And she still fully intended to go through with her plan. "I refuse to be a virgin any longer," she convinced herself. "And I intend to undo all the empty years that Jareth has inflicted on me." For the moment, however, a short reprieve to gather her courage was definitely in order.  
  
Exhausted from her emotions of the last few days, Sarah began running the bathwater and stripped off her clothes. Lying back in the full-length tub, she closed her eyes and prepared to relax. She figured she had a good half hour before Todd became restless. From the living room she could hear the blaring of the TV, and knew the football game he was watching would keep him occupied for a while, at least. Sighing, and letting the steam envelop her in its comforting warmth, Sarah closed her eyes and tried to relax. She was so tired.  
  
Letting her mind wander, Sarah's thoughts went to her real mother, who had left her and her father to pursue her acting career. Her mother lived on the opposite coast, all the way in New York City. They communicated by phone only on special occasions, and it had been years since Sarah had last seen her. "Mom, I miss you so much," Sarah thought sleepily. "I wish I could talk to you right now." As sleep overcame her, Sarah could hear her dream-like voice calling for her mother. "Mom, I need you! Please come back to me. Mom, please, where are you?" she pleaded.  
  
"Why, I'm right here, Sarah," a voice answered.  
  
"Mom! Mom!" Sarah waded as if in slow-motion through her dream-like fog to the owner of the voice. "Mom, I love you! Please come back! I need you so much!" As she inched closer, the fog parted and she stared in horror at the owner of the voice. Standing before her was her stepmother, Karen, rocking Toby possessively. In reality, Toby was seven years old, but in her dream he was a baby again, wearing the same red and white- striped pajamas that he had worn when Sarah had wished him away.  
  
"What do you want, Sarah?" Karen shrilly demanded. "Can't you see I'm busy taking care of the baby?"  
  
"No!" Sarah screamed. "I don't want you! I want my mother! I want my real mother! Mom! Mom! Please don't leave me! Please come back! Mama! Please! Please love me again! Mamaaa!"  
  
Mercifully, the mist obscured her stepmother, and Sarah felt herself falling and falling as one often does in dreams. Unlike her usual dreams, however, this time Sarah landed with a hard thump. Standing up, she looked around and found that she was on a dirt path at the bottom of a grassy hill. "If this is a dream, it sure feels real," she thought as she started up the path. Every detail felt so vivid. Feeling the hard earth beneath her feet, Sarah trudged forward on the uneven ground. "This can't be a dream," she thought, as she listened to the birds singing and watched the blades of grass near the path blowing in the breeze. Continuing up the hill, she could see trees on either side of the path in the distance.  
  
After a brief hike, Sarah came upon a "Y" in the path. The left path continued up the hill into sunshine and an open field, but the right path veered off sharply and led to a dense wooded area. Pausing, Sarah only briefly considered her options before choosing. "Maybe it's a trick," she thought, and chose the path to the right.  
  
It was dark in the woods, and the trees crowded around her. "It's almost scary," she thought, but in spite of, or maybe because of the ominous feeling that crept over her, she became aware of a sense of excitement, and for some reason, felt oddly at home.  
  
Before long, the path led back out of the woods to a clearing, in which was a sturdy wooden bench. Sitting on the bench with her head bowed, was a woman wearing a white dress. In fact she seemed to be wearing the same white dress and veiled hat that Sarah's mother had worn on so many occasions. Sarah held such fond memories of her mother in that dress. She remembered how proud she'd felt of her when she was all dressed up on her father's arm ready for a night on the town. Her mom would kiss Sarah good- night wearing her beautiful white dress, and Sarah, with her child-like trust, believed her mother to be the purest, most beautiful woman in the world. Did this vision on the bench mean that Sarah now had a second chance to be enveloped once more in her mother's love, that she'd been so sadly lacking?  
  
"Mom!" Sarah cried, as she hesitantly approached the bench.  
  
"Come to me, Sarah, darling," her mother's voice spoke from beyond the white veil. "I know how Karen has treated you. Sit near me."  
  
Slowly, Sarah settled herself next to the veiled figure that she so desperately hoped was her mother. "Mom?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Sarah, dear," the woman replied in a voice that Sarah no longer recognized. "I'm afraid you've chosen the wrong path."  
  
With those final words, Sarah felt herself falling once more, this time jerking to a heart-pounding halt as she found herself in the bathtub again. "Thank God I'm awake," she exclaimed. "What a horrible dream. Oh well," she yawned groggily, "I'd better hurry and get out of this tub before Todd comes in here looking for me."  
  
As Sarah prepared to climb out of the tub, she glanced at the dripping faucet. "Ewww, what is that?" she wrinkled her nose in disgust. There, slowly oozing out of the faucet and into the tub was a thick, oily black substance. "Either I'm still dreaming, or Todd's parents need to get a plumber, like, yesterday…what the heck…?"  
  
Looking downward into the bathtub water, Sarah could see that the sticky ooze was rapidly filling the tub. As she rushed to clamber out, her progress was impeded by a thick bubbling layer of the tar-like mess in the bottom of the tub beneath the water. Stuck like a fly on flypaper, she tried to wiggle out, but all of her limbs were held fast. "Todd! Call Todd!" a voice screamed within her brain, but the gripping ooze was numbing and paralyzing her; pulling her downward into the water.  
  
She felt a bolt of panic shoot through her entire body as she felt her head begin to go under. "Jareth, I always thought I'd see you one last time," were her last thoughts before she blacked out. As she lost consciousness, Sarah felt a pair of strong arms lifting her upward. 


	5. Magic Man

MOTHER'S DAY  
  
By Morwenna Caddy  
  
  
  
Thank you, reviewers, for your patience. I got discouraged about fanfic.net being down for so long, and then I was totally bogged down with schoolwork. Please don't give up on me!  
  
Delkon: Glad you like my imagery. Sorry I didn't have enough room to put your namesake in this chapter. Look for him in Chapter 6.  
  
Redaura: Hope you've stopped screaming by now. And who says Sarah is going to have an R-rated bit with Todd? Does anyone want that?  
  
Lintrayel Riverdance: Hee hee. I like Rocky Horror, too. AND cheese.  
  
Valerie: Sorry, dearie, but there's going to be a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter. *evil cackle*  
  
Ivy Adrena: Shibby, baby. Well, better late than never.  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Crystal in the sky,  
  
Magic in the air.  
  
The lovers aren't mine,  
  
I have to be fair.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FIVE: MAGIC MAN  
  
  
  
Sarah came to on a soft field of grass near a wide, sparkling river. Before she opened her eyes, she could hear the rhythmic lapping of the river against the shore, feel the cool caress of a gentle breeze, and feel a soft cushion of grass beneath her naked form. "I'm safe," she thought with relief. There was no question in her mind who had saved her even before she opened her eyes and saw the crystal moon in the sky, for she could smell his musky magic fairly crackling in the sweet evening air.  
  
"Jareth," she breathed, as she opened her eyes and saw him sitting casually on the grass next to her, leaning slightly forward with his shaggy blonde head cocked to one side quizzically. In spite of the obvious concern in his expressive eyes, Sarah's heart was tumbling with conflicting emotions. Immediately she was aware of her still overwhelming feelings for him, not to mention the fact that he had just saved her from being drowned by that mysterious black gook from a plumber's worse nightmare. At the same time, however, the years of loneliness and heartache could not be erased, no matter how attractive her rescuer might be.  
  
Desperately, her mind grasped for something to defend her heart from further hurt, and aware of her naked form under Jareth's black cape, she felt vulnerable and exposed. Perhaps more as a self-defense mechanism to safe-guard her heart than from true modesty, Sarah eyed him suspiciously. "Did you try anything?" she angrily lashed out at him.  
  
The Goblin King elegantly raised one eyebrow, not looking at all surprised. "Sarah, Sarah," he mockingly admonished her. "I should think you'd be grateful I've just saved your life."  
  
"Well, I bet you got an eyeful, didn't you?" she angrily retorted.  
  
Not at all fazed by that remark, Jareth leaned tantalizingly close and purred into her ear, "I may be a magic man, Sarah, but I am a man." Satisfied at her sharp intake of breath, he leaned back again and added, "But for now, we need to figure out who's behind these magical attacks upon us."  
  
"Us?" Sarah asked, suddenly alert and feeling concern for Jareth in spite of herself.  
  
"Yes, I was attacked as well. Otherwise I would have come to you much sooner."  
  
"Are you all right?" she asked grudgingly. In spite of her concern for Jareth's well-being, Sarah had absolutely no intention of letting her guard down.  
  
"I'm fine, Sarah. We were both lucky." Jareth hesitated momentarily. Discussing his true feelings was not something that came naturally, but he would have walked through fire, if it meant sparing Sarah pain. "To be honest, if I hadn't feared your rejection again, I would have returned to you when you turned eighteen."  
  
Surprised at his confession, Sarah considered throwing herself into his arms at that very moment. Closing her eyes, a shiver ran through her as she imagined his cape falling away from her naked form and his black leather-clad hands caressing her. "Stop it, Sarah!" she silently admonished herself. "I may care for him, but how do I know if he'll be there for me? I can't forget all those times I waited for him and he didn't show up."  
  
Sarah opened her eyes and saw Jareth staring at her intently. "You're shivering, Sarah. Here," As Jareth leaned close to her and began to wind his long strong arms around her, Sarah yielded only momentarily before pulling away.  
  
"I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I'm not ready for this," she said.  
  
"You were ready for your little school chum only minutes ago," Jareth replied curtly.  
  
"No I wasn't, Jareth. I only put myself in that situation because I felt hurt and betrayed by you. I never would have gone through with it. Besides," she said stubbornly, "I don't want a relationship with anyone."  
  
"Oh, really? And why is that?"  
  
"I don't ever want to fall in love and get married, because," Sarah thought of all the grief and loss she felt over her own mother's rejection of her, and of all the painful years she had spent with her stepmother. "I don't ever want to be a mother!" she rashly blurted out.  
  
"I see," Jareth said sadly. "And I understand."  
  
"Thank you." Sarah looked up at Jareth, and there in the endless pools of his mismatched eyes she could see that he really did understand. It almost made her want to reach out to him no matter what the cost. Almost. "Jareth," she breathed.  
  
"Hush now. Look," he said quietly. Sarah followed his gaze to the wide gently flowing river, and there emerging from the depths, were two black ponies, shaking the water from their shaggy manes and tossing their heads proudly. As the ponies slowly ascended the bank, their black shiny forms seemed to shimmer with the reflection of the setting sun upon the water. As Sarah clutched the cape to herself with one hand, she shielded her eyes from the glare with the other. When she looked again, she gasped at what was before her. The ponies were nowhere to be seen, and in their place were two stocky and completely nude young men walking slowly towards her and Jareth. Sarah held her breath as the wet and dripping men slowly walked by, and continued down the bank to the river again. Gasping, Sarah watched as they waded into the water and then disappeared from sight. Moments later, she could see two shiny black pony heads surfacing in the water, as they continued swimming downriver.  
  
"What was that?" Sarah turned to Jareth with large eyes.  
  
"Selkies," Jareth smiled. "You've been granted a very rare privilege. "They're a very quiet peace-loving people, and only appear to those who are in harmony with one another. That they've appeared to you and I is a very good sign indeed."  
  
"But, but they were men! And then they," Sarah stopped, words failing her.  
  
Jareth laughed quietly. "They're shape-shifters, Sarah. Pony and man."  
  
"Like you turn into an owl?"  
  
"Something like that." Still smiling, Jareth stood up. "And now, young lady, it's time we," Halting midsentence, Jareth suddenly stiffened and looked extremely alert.  
  
"Jareth, what's wrong?" Sarah asked, more than a little alarmed.  
  
"Sarah, I'm sorry. I have sensed something amiss and I have to leave. Stay here for now." Without another word, he abruptly disappeared in a cloud of glitter.  
  
"Jareth, Jareth! Where are you going?" Sarah angrily shrieked as she jumped to her feet clutching the cape around her body. "Don't you dare leave me alone like this with only your cape! JARETH!"  
  
  
  
Seconds later, Jareth reappeared in the throne room of his castle, senses alert, and his blue eyes flashing. Seeing a woman sitting upon his throne, he spoke to her sharply, "So, it was you." 


	6. This Merry Bond

MOTHER'S DAY By Morwenna Caddy  
  
  
  
Acknowledgments:  
  
Redaura: Todd who? Never heard of him.  
  
Silver Space: I'm so glad you love this. I hope I posted this chapter soon enough for everybody!  
  
Ivy Adrena: Your wish is my command.  
  
Delkon: The Selkies actually are a real mythological creature. However, rather than pony shape-shifters like in my story, they usually are seal shape-shifters. When they emerge from the sea, they shed their sealskin and become beautiful and alluring humans.  
  
Skyla Doragono: Welcome to the team. Your story is cool, too. Please write more of "Where the Heart Is."  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Sarah and Jareth I canna' claim  
  
And if Hoggle's said to be mine  
  
I'm not to blame.  
  
But two new faces doth now appear  
  
And e'en though I claim them as mine  
  
I'm in the clear.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER SIX: THIS MERRY BOND  
  
  
  
Sarah clutched Jareth's silky cape tightly around her naked body as she jumped up and down, shrieking frantically, "Jareth! Come back here this instant! Don't you dare leave me alone like this with only your cape! JARETH! Oh, what's the use?" Exasperated, she paced back and forth, asking herself whatever she could have seen in the man in the first place. "He's always making me wait for him! He's impossible, that's what he is! So what if he's handsome and heroic, and, and, I hope he's alright."  
  
Torn between the frustration of her jumbled emotions and the rational worries in her mind, Sarah finally stood still and closed her eyes as tears began to threaten. Before long, however, a familiar voice startled her out of her reverie. "Oh, it's you," said the voice.  
  
Sarah's eyes flew wide open. "Hoggle! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" Bending down, she gave her old friend a peck on the cheek. "What are you doing here anyway?"  
  
"We'se 'sposed t' take 'e back t' th' castle."  
  
"That's great," Sarah sighed with relief. "Hey, do you think you can get me some clothes while you're at it? And what do you mean, 'we?'  
  
"I's watchin' me nephew. Come on out, Yllek!" Hoggle called.  
  
As Sarah gazed in the direction in which Hoggle was shouting, she saw a rumpled shock of tawny brown hair followed by the biggest blue eyes she had ever seen peek out from behind a nearby willow tree. Even smaller than Hoggle, the young dwarf seemed to be all eyes, and unlike Hoggle's creased and weathered countenance, Yllek had the smooth, plump skin of a very young child.  
  
"Why, Hoggle, he's adorable!" Sarah exclaimed, clearly captivated by the little fellow. "He mustn't be more than four or five."  
  
"Well, I guess tha's 'bout right in Upperworld years, but down 'ere, 'e's a bit older. "C'mon over, Yllek, don' be shy, now. Say 'ello t' Lady Sarah."  
  
Toddling slowly over, Yllek finally stood in front of Sarah, and looked up at her with large, curious eyes that seemed to encompass half of his entire face. "Well, hello, there, little guy," Sarah said. "Aren't you a cutie. Come sit here and - EEEEK!"  
  
Before she knew it, Yllek had grabbed hold of the hem of Jareth's cape and had given it one solid downward yank. "Hunca 'Oggle!" Yllek squeaked. "Looka th' naked lady!"  
  
"Yllek, NO!" cried a horrified Hoggle, clearly embarrassed, and blushing a bright beet red. "I'se terribly sorry, missy. Kids, y' know!" he mumbled, as he looked the other way.  
  
Scrambling to cover herself up once again, Sarah blushed in mortification. "D-don't worry about it, Hoggle. I- I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. Let's just get to the castle and find Jareth so I can get some clothes, OK?"  
  
"Sure," replied Hoggle, glaring at Yllek. "Y' won't do that again, will y', Yllek?"  
  
Yllek just gazed wide-eyed at Hoggle in child-like innocence. "Kay, Hunca' 'Oggle. B'- LOOKA TH' NAKED LADY!" Before Hoggle could blink, Yllek had once again yanked the cape clean off Sarah.  
  
"AAACK! I can't stand this!" sobbed Sarah, as she wrapped Jareth's cape around herself once more.  
  
"Yllek, I'm tellin' ya, if ya do that one more time, y'll gets no supper t'night!"  
  
"Okays, Hunca' 'Oggle. But looka."  
  
"NO!" shrieked Sarah, backing away.  
  
"NO!" yelled Hoggle, grabbing at Yllek.  
  
"B' looka th' purty flower, Hunca' 'Oggle," Yllek innocently squealed in protest, and held up a tiny squished dandelion clutched firmly in one small plump hand.  
  
"Forget it, Hoggle," Sarah sighed. "Please, just get me to the castle and get me some decent clothes. Oh, by the way, Hoggle, are Ludo and Sir Didymus still around?"  
  
"Didymus is off questin', 'n' Ludo went 'ome to' Beastland. "Hit's a long way from ere. An' I works in th' castle kitchen, now," Hoggle added importantly. "C'mon, th' castle's this way. It ain't far."  
  
  
  
"So, Lelfia, it was you who caused all of this trouble," Jareth hissed at the dark-haired woman sitting upon his throne, while holding up one hand to keep his goblin soldiers from advancing. "What are you doing here?" he addressed her.  
  
"Now, now, Jareth, dear. Is that any way to speak to your mother? I had to get your attention, somehow, didn't I? And if it took almost drowning that little mortal girl you favor, so be it. Besides, you know that I have always had a flair for the dramatic."  
  
Lelfia tossed her long black hair back from her alabaster skin with claw- like nails, and narrowed her kohl-rimmed emerald eyes at her son. "When your father abandoned me to the Upperworld years ago and left me powerless, I swore I'd find my way back someday to have my revenge. Now that day has finally come, Jareth, dear. I researched every musty old sorcery book that I could find, until I finally found one with the words to contact the lamias that you confined to the crystal caverns so long ago."  
  
"I see, mother. So that's how you've gotten so powerful."  
  
"Yes. It seems the lamias want vengeance as well, so we have formed an oh- so-convenient alliance. In exchange for my promise of their freedom, they've granted me their powers as well as full cooperation in claiming your throne." Lelfia pursed her wet ruby lips. "The Goblin Kingdom is rightfully mine, Jareth!"  
  
"I'm afraid you're quite wrong, dear mother. I will not allow your evil influence to corrupt my Kingdom, as you tried to do so long ago when you were married to my father. Now get off my throne," Jareth seethed. "Or shall I have you forcibly removed?"  
  
"Just try to make me, darling boy," Lelfia spat.  
  
At that, Jareth lunged forward toward Lelfia almost faster that the human eye could follow. However, just as he reached her, Lelfia just as quickly bent forward, and kissed Jareth on the forehead. "By my kiss your magic shall die," she recited. As Jareth gasped in horror, he was immobilized and made powerless by the spell she continued muttering. "When the crystal moon sheds its light three turns hence, thy kingdom shall pass to the hands of the caster."  
  
Crumpling to the floor, Jareth felt pain rip through his body as he'd never felt before. Lying helpless on the cold stone steps leading to his throne he felt as if every fiber of his being were on fire. Moaning in pain, he managed to stay conscious long enough to see his mother disappear in a glowing black ball that became smaller and smaller until it vanished altogether.  
  
  
  
Sarah Williams entered the castle beyond the Goblin City, with Hoggle and Yllek in tow, and Jareth's black cape still clutched protectively round her. As she walked up the short flight of steps to the throne room, her thoughts were raging with anger at the predicament in which he had left her. "Jareth better have a good explanation for leaving me half naked," she angrily thought. Arriving in the large throne room, however, every stormy thought flew from her mind, as she saw Jareth crumpled on the floor, his eyes closed in his pale face, and surrounded by his concerned goblins. "Jareth!" Sarah fearfully cried, as she pushed her way through the furry bodies to kneel by his side.  
  
  
  
Author's Note: I haven't forgotten my promise of an R-rating. Should things steam up next chapter? I am open to suggestions. 


End file.
